Carlyle
Table of contents
Outer characterization
Carlyle is the main character in the short story “Last Bridge Burned” by Ron Rash. Carlyle’s outer characterization shows him as a middle-aged man of “almost sixty” (l.67) who runs an isolated gas station. He probably has a low income as he lives in a “one bed” (l. 64) house. He seems to have had a troubled past, as he “had lost three jobs and two wives” (l. 8). Additionally, the text hints that he has struggled with alcoholism in the past (ll. 68-70).
Inner characterization
One of the key aspects of Carlyle’s life is that he has settled for a solitary, isolated lifestyle. This is indicated by his workplace on the interstate, his lonely home with “nail holes in the walls where pictures once hung” (ll. 152 -153), ...
